Cigarette case



r. Rom. CIGARETTE CASE. APPLICATION FIL ED APR. 10. 1919.

Patentd Nov. 4, 1919.

WITNESSES llV VE IV TOR {F50 for/1 A TTOR/VEYS FRED ROTH, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CIGARETTE-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. d, 1919.

Application filed April 10, 1919. Seria1No.289,011.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED ROTH, a citizen of the United States, and a'reside'nt of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements'in Cigarette-Cases, of which the following is a' full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a case for cigarettes, cigars,'matches, etc., and more particularly to a two-part case designed and constructed to partly eject in sequence, one at a time, the cigarettes, cigars or matches, etc., therein contained by sliding one p'art of the case over the other, which movement is effected by the thumb and index finger of one hand. I

Although in case is, as above indicated, equally adapta le for carrying and. dispensing cigarettes, cigars, matches and the like, I have chosen a cigarette case to illustrate my invention.

Broadly stated, the present invention consists of a case composed of two parts, one part the holder and the other the cover, in

interlocked, sliding engagement, the holder being designed to carry cigarettes, cigars, matches, etc., and a spring, the latter serving to press the cigarettes, etc., 'gently against one side of the holder, the end cigarette being held over a lug carried by the cover and alined with an opening in the cover through which it is partly ejected by the relative sliding movement of the cover and holder.

I am aware that various cigarette cases have been contrived which embody the broad general features of my case, as well as some I of the details of construction thereof, but

there are no cases of the type embraced within .the present invention which will operate satisfactorily with oval cigarettes, the form in which most of the so-called Egyptian and" 1 Turkish cigarettes are made.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a cigarette case designed and constructed to automatically dispense cigarettes, etc., therein contained,

one at a time in sequence, and which will function equally well with oval cigarettes as' with those round in cross section.

A further object of my invention is to provide a cigarette case of the class indicated especially suitable for cigarettes oval in cross section, and which will be simple and inexpensive to manufacture, eficient and re liable in operation and neat in appearance.

With the above and other objects inmind,

reference is to 'be had to the accompanying drawlngs illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, in which similar ref- .erence characters refer to corresponding parts throughout, and in which,

Figurel is a side view of the case in perspective with a portion of the sidewall of the holder broken away to expose the contents thereof, and the end leaf of the spring contained therein pressing against the row of cigarettes.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the case in section 7 taken along the line 2-2, Fig. 3, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 3 is a cross -section of the case taken along the line 3 3-, Fig. 2, and looking in the direction indicated 'by the arrow.-

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the case taken along the line 4:4, Fig. 2, and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Fig. 5 is an end view in case. J

The cigarette case is made up of two parts, the holder A and the cover B. The holder A consists of a single sheet of metal stamped hereinafter explained. Walls Sand 9, and

flange 10 'are depressed near theirledges to form grooves 13, l iand 15 respectlvely, ex-

perspective of the 1 out to form an outer wall 6, with upturned tending the entire length of said walls and flange.

The cover B is likewise formed of a slngle sheet of metal stamped to form an outer ,wall

16 with. three upturned edges constituting end walls 17, 18- and 19. Edge 20 of outer wall 16 is unflanged. Wall 18 is cut of a short distance from wall 17 to provide a rectangular opening 26 through which the cigarettes are ejected. The end ofwall 17 is turned in to form lug 27. The edges of each of end .walls 17, 18 and 19 are bent over or slightly flanged producing flanges 21, 22 and 23. Flanges 21, 22 and 23 fit respectively into groovesv 14,. 15 and 13 and lock the holder A and cover B together, at the same' time pernitting them to slide relative to each other. The lug 27 fitting intotheop'ening or slot 11, also serves'to lock the holder A and cover B bottom.

Contained within the holder A is a leaf spring 24, which I prefer to make of a single piece of spring brass. The spring is bent to form four leaves, the outer leaf 24 bearing against one side of the case, and the leaf 24 abutting against the row of cigarettes 25, contained in the case.v The free ends 24 and 24" respectively of the outer leaves 24 and 24 are bent outwardly, as are also the bentover ends 24* and 24. The purpose of the outward bend 24 of leaf 24 is to exert a pressure near the bottom of the cigarette next to the spring, as the cigarette in alinement with the opening 26, and over lug 27, is forced up by said lug 27, as the holder A and cover B are separated longitudinally.-

This pressure is followed by a pressure near the top of the cigarette next the spring exerted by bend 24., as the partly ejected cigarette is withdrawn by hand. The pressures exerted by the bends 24 and 24: on the cigarette adjacent thereto are communicated of course to the entire row of cigarettes in the case,

and the efiect is to keep the row straight and the next cigarette to be ejected in position over the lug 27 and in register with opening 26. The purpose of outward bends 24 and 24 ofleaf 24 is simply to add more spring to the leaf. I find in practice that where an ordinary flat leaf spring is used it is impossible to maintain the straight alinement of the cigarettes in the case, due to the fact that the premure of the sprin u on the row of cigarettes is either near t e ottom or near the top but only in one or the other place. Where a continued pressure is applied near the bottom of the row, the cigarettes w1ll be slanted crosswise of the case more and more as the cigarettes are with- .drawn, until the cigarette next to be ejected is entirely out of line with the opening, when the case can no longer be 0 rated. Where a continued pressure is app ied near the top of the row, the cigarettes will likewise be slanted crosswise of the case, which slant will increase as the cigarettes are withdrawn, until the cigarette next to be ejected is out of line with and off the lug, and at an angle with the ejection opening, also resulting in the choking of the case.

By bending outwardly the leaf of my spring adjacent to the row of cigarettes, as

described, its pressure is applied first near the bottom and then near the top of the row, thus always keeping the row straight. This is of the utmost importance where the cigarettes have an oval cross section, for if a row of such cigarettes in the holder is permitted to slant, the shape of the cigarettes makes it impossible not only to eject them through the opening in the holder, but causes them to work up on one another in such manner as to result in congestion, disturbed alinement and blocking.

The manner of using the case and the operation of its parts have, in the main, already been indicated throughout the foregoing description. Summarizing, the holder A and cover B of the case are first forced out of engagement after being brought to the relative position indicated in Fig. 1. Cigarettes are filled into the holder A, the spring 2-1 meanwhile being held in compression ainst the end wall thereof opposite that adjacent to the opening 26. When the cigarettes are properly alined, the spring is released against them, and holder A and cover B are locked together, the lug 27 bein first placed in slot 11 under the end of the first cigarette -10 be ejected. The cigarettes are dispensed one at atime by grasping the case with the thumb and index finger of one hand and sliding the holder B and cover A longitudicase, from which it may then be withdrawn by hand. As the first cigarette is with drawn, the spring 24 forces the next cigarette over lug 27 and in alinement with opening 26. The operation is then repeated. The depression 12 in wall 9 is to prevent the tearing of the cigarette wrapper by the end of wall9, asthe cigarettes are extracted from the case.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent,

1. The combination of a case for cigarettes and the like, of the class described, compr1sing a holder and cover in interlocked slidim engagement and a lug for ejecting singly and in sequence the contents thereof through openings in register in said holder and said cover, of an instrumentality for exertlng a pressure first, upon the lower end of the row of cigarettes and the like, contained 1n the holder as one of the same is partly ejected, followed by a pressure upon the upper end of said row as the said cigarette or the like 2. A cigarette case, comprising a holder and a cover, flanges on three of the upturned edges or walls of said cover, complemental grooves in the struck up edges of said holder "said flanges fitting into said grooves to ho1d a the parts ofthe' case in interlocked, sllding engagement; a rectangular opening in said cover and in said holder in register therewith; a lug in line with said openings, and

in an instrumentality for exerting a pressure first upon the lower end of the row of cigarettes contained in the holder as one of the same is partly ejected, followed by a pressure upon the upper end of said row as the FRED.- orn. 

